History

After conducting research into hypnotherapeutic techniques, I was struck by the need to develop a systematic and virtually universal approach. I wanted to train the therapists at The Hypnosis Center, Inc, in a system that was relatively easy to learn, and easy to supervise. And, foremost, it had to be a system that provided good consistent results.

At the time I was impressed with the techniques that I learned from Gerald Kein, Harry Arons and Gil Boyne.

Among the most important ideas and techniques that I learned were:

The need to properly prepare the client by sending a positive message, implying success from the very first contact, i.e., responding to questions about services with, "Yes, we do that all the time!"

The need to do a good pre-talk, where you focus on educating the client, and removing fears and misconceptions.

Using an appropriate hypnotic induction, usually a rapid or instant induction.

Utilizing a hidden test for somnambulism.

Using convincers, compounding of suggestions and direct drive techniques.

Using age regression to find the events that started the problem, using affect bridge.

Using informed child technique to change the effect (emotional or beliefs regarding incident).

Using the principle of forgiveness in therapy for others and the client.

Using Parts Therapy.

Using appropriate touch, to enhance the therapy.

These techniques and ideas were then organized into a systematic procedure that enhances each of the procedures as a whole, thus improving the outcome.

Basically, Here Is How It Works

The therapist will take the client through the following phases, each improving the success of the the subsequent phase (called a phase because more than one session may be necessary for procedure):

Direct Suggestion with Convincers

Age Regression and Informed Child Technique

Forgiveness of Others Therapy

Forgiveness of Self Therapy

Parts Mediation Therapy

How this is done is briefly outlined and explained below.

Before the Hypnosis Session

The therapist needs to be aware of the principles of waking suggestion, and how the client's degree of success is in part determined by events that occur before the "hypnosis session" begins. The client's success is greatly increased if you are mindful of how the client is handled prior to the session. All of the following have an effect on the work you will be doing with the client.

Everything she has ever heard about hypnosis and you.

Your appearance and your office's appearance.

Any statements that you make about hypnosis or expected outcome.

Because of this you will need to make statements suggesting an expectation of a positive outcome. You and your office must be consistent with the message you intend to send (i.e., professional). You must do a good pre-hypnosis presentation, including a pre-talk and intake.

Then begins the five phases.

Phase I - Preparation, Testing and Convincing

The focus of this phase of hypnosis is to have the client have a successful session. To accomplish this, the 5-PATH system consists of the following in Phase I:

Proper induction -- usually an instant or rapid induction.

Use of a hidden test for somnambulism.

Deepening.

Use of convincers--so that the client knows that she was hypnotized (i.e., eye lock).

Installation of suggestions for future success when doing hypnosis (i.e., post-hypnotic suggestion for rapid re-induction of hypnosis in future sessions).

Use of Direct Suggestion techniques, including giving some suggestions that were checked out with the client a head of time, in the pre-hypnosis interview (this puts the client at ease), giving suggestions appropriate to the issue, including the use of Compounding and Direct Drive techniques.

Making additional suggestions during the emerging process for post hypnotic suggestion (more convincers), such as time distortion and sensitivity to a color such as red.

Running a first session this way is done for the following reasons:

Using all of the above will improve the probability of a successful Direct Suggestion session.

Instill confidence in the client that she can use hypnosis for the issue she wants to work on.

Instill confidence in the client that she has selected a good hypnotherapist.

And, even more importantly perhaps, you have turned this person into an ideal client that will be great to work with in the future. This client, having gone through this procedure, will almost certainly experience a true Age Regression session (Phase II) with revivification.

Phase I, is done this way because it greatly increases the probability of success in Phase II, an Age Regression Session.

Phase II - Age Regression

Every problem that our clients come to see us about, have an origin, a beginning. The use of Age Regression Therapy is probably the most powerful tool available to a properly trained hypnotherapist. It is an essential part of 5-PATH. In addition to uncovering information from the past that might have become unavailable to the conscious mind, regression allows the therapist to "undo" the effects of the incident or incidents that have formed the problem. It is so important, that much of what was done in Phase I, was done so that we can have a successful Age Regression Session nearly every time.

It would go like this:

Use post-hypnotic suggestion for rapid re-induction of hypnosis to somnambulism.

Deepen.

Use Affect Bridge (usually).

Find ISE (initial sensitizing event).

Use Informed Child Technique.

Use Informed Adult Technique.

Progress into the future to experience success for the issue.

Use direct suggestion after change has been made.

Emerge, using suggestions for success.

The 5-PATH® practitioner is encouraged to focus on the use of suggestion here. Remember that after you have accomplished Age Regression and Informed Child, the subconscious mind has been forced into a state of reorganization. Prior to this, the subconscious mind may have been resistant to suggestion, but now it is in a state of heightened suggestibility beyond what can be accomplished where Direct Suggestion techniques alone could accomplish.

Age Regression has now, increased our probability of success, even further because it has probably uncovered new information and provided additional insight, that both the client and therapist can use, as we continue into Phase III.

Phase III - Forgiveness of Others

The Age Regression session (Phase III) has provided us with great opportunities. The impact of the clients ISEs and SSE have been removed or reduced. You and the client have a much better understanding of the history of the problem/issue. And, most importantly to this phase, we know who the players are. We know about the people in our client's life that have been a part of the problem. In addition to gaining insight, and perhaps having been desensitized, the problem can be further healed by using forgiveness techniques. This provides for a reduction in emotion regarding the problem and a more complete releasing of the past, including the problem/issue.

It would go like this:

Do induction and deepening.

Set up for "Chair Therapy" where the client can confront or communicate with the person who was the contributor to the problem, i.e., abuser, parent, rapist, etc.

The situation is made so that the client will be completely safe in expressing her feelings (i.e., the offender cannot get out of a chair, etc.).

The client is encouraged to express how she feels or felt about what happened. The client is greatly encouraged to really let it all out.

Once the client is exhausted, the therapist has the client take the place of the offender, and will speak from that perspective.

Therapist then goes after the offender, similar to how the client did, but perhaps even stronger.

This will often cause new insight in the client with regard to the situation to occur which will be useful in accomplishing the forgiveness.

Dialog is encouraged between the client and the offender (the client will speak from both perspectives)

The client is then guided into forgiving the offender. It is explained to the client that this is for her own benefit and not for the benefit of the offender.

Then additional Direct Suggestion techniques are used, regarding the problem/issue.

This process of forgiveness may be repeated for additional players who contributed to the problem. And, the client may be encouraged to continue to forgive less significant persons on her own for a period during the session.

Notice the use of suggestion at the end of the process. Again, I want to remind the therapist that powerful techniques such as this force the subconscious mind into reorganization, and the client become exceptionally suggestible for suggestions that are consistent with the experience. Don't overlook this opportunity!

This phase again set us up for increased success in the following phase.

Phase IV - Self-Forgiveness

Most of my clients report that this phase of forgiving herself was the most important. I often wish that I could just go here first. But I believe that this phase is so successful because of the work done in the preceding phases.

It is essentially the same as Phase III, except this time the client take on two roles. The first role will be that of the "Self" and the other is the "Mistake-Making-Part." The Mistake-Making-Part, takes on the part of the offender in Phase III. This approach allows the client to see herself in a more detached and objective way.

It goes like this:

Do induction and deepening.

Set up for "Chair Therapy" where the client can confront or communicate with the Mistake-Making-Part, who will be blamed for every mistake she has ever made in her life.

The situation is set up so that the client will be completely safe in expressing her feelings toward the Mistake-Making-Part.

The client is encouraged to express how she feels or felt about the mistakes made in her life. The client is greatly encourage to really let it all out.

Once the client is exhausted, the therapist has the client take the place of the Mistake-Making-Part, and will speak from that perspective. Before that she was speaking from the perspective of the Self.

Therapist then goes after the Mistake-Making-Part, similar to how the client did, but perhaps even stronger.

This will often cause new insight in the client with regard to the situation to occur which will be useful in accomplishing the forgiveness of herself.

Dialog is encouraged between the client and the Mistake-Making-Part (the client will speak from both perspectives again)

The client is then guided into forgiving the Mistake-Making-Part. Because of the new insight, about the situation, the Mistake-Making-Part, can be reframed as the Protective Part, also making her more forgivable.

Then additional Direct Suggestion techniques are used, regarding the problem/issue.

This is usually a tremendous experience for the client. By this time in the therapy, the problem has been completely resolved/healed. The work is usually done at this point and no further work is required. However, sometimes more work may be needed, because of a special circumstance. This will be addressed in Phase V.

Phase V - Parts Mediation Therapy

The vast majority of clients do not need this Phase of the work. It is here for a special case. This is the sticky case of the client that will not heal or completely respond to therapy. This is usually because of Secondary Gain Issues. It must be kept in mind by the enlightened therapist that even some of the most painful problems can have benefits! Phase V, is specifically designed to get at this kind of problem.

It is patterned after two procedures, Parts Therapy and Mediation. Together they become Parts Mediation Therapy. It differs from Parts Therapy because it does not focus on descriptive characteristic of the individual such as the Joy Part, or Creative Part, etc. In that kind of therapy, we are bringing up characteristics or abilities that have been suppressed, lie dormant, or are otherwise out of balance.

In Parts Mediation Therapy, we utilize the concepts of mediation, where we work toward building agreements between the parts of the self which are in conflict. We uncover issues and focus on a win-win situation. These new agreements include doing more beneficial or healthy behaviors in the future.

The process would go like this:

Induce hypnosis and deepen.

Suggest that you are the mediator and not the judge (mediators are only facilitators).

Bring up the subject of the conflict (the problem/issue that has not been completely resolved).

Suggest that more communication may be in order.

Suggest that there is a part of her that is aware of a benefit of continuing to have the problem.

Find out why the problem is useful.

Name the part, such as The-Still-Wanting-To-Smoke Part.

Have the Self discuss the benefits of making the change.

Uncover and discuss alternative behaviors that will provide the same benefits as the problem behavior.

Discuss other the benefits of changing to the new behavior.

Have both sides come to a win-win agreement where both sides have their needs met.

Do any forgiveness work that needs to be done between the two sides.

Merge the two side back together as one.

Do Direct Suggestion techniques for change.

As usual, the process ends with appropriate suggestions for change. Here we have uncovered the cause of the inability of the client to come to full resolution of the problem. And, we have provided an alternative, but need fulfilling alternative behavior. This is set up as an agreement between the parts. If there is any reluctance between the parts in this intra-psychic mediation, then a trial period can be agreed upon, where a next session can be set up to evaluate the success of the agreement and make any further changes that may be need to encourage ongoing success.

Summary

This had been a quick overview of 5-PATH a systematic approach to doing hypnotherapy, which is almost universally effective in the problems that our clients face. It can be modified to suit the client and application by the therapist.

I offer training in this system as part of our National Guild of Hypnotists certification course and also as an advanced training for practicing hypnotherapists.

Contact Information

Banyan Hypnosis Center For Training & Services is located at 1431 Warner Ave. Suite E, Tustin, CA 92780 in the Warner Corporate Park, just off Red Hill near 5 & 55. We will FAX you a map upon request, or happily give you directions on the telephone/cell phone.